Sen. Dick Durbin pressed Todd Blanche during his attorney general confirmation hearing on July 15 to commit under oath to meeting with ten Epstein survivors within 30 days, but the acting attorney general repeatedly dodged the request.
Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened his questioning by noting that the survivors—present in the hearing room—had repeatedly sought meetings with the Department of Justice but never heard back. “Can I get your word under oath that within the next 30 days, you will personally sit down with these 10 victims and hear their case in terms of what needs to be done by the Department of Justice?” Durbin asked.
Blanche deflected, saying he had someone from his office who specialized in cases like Epstein’s available to speak with them. Durbin pressed again: “She can sit right next to you when you meet with these survivors… Will you meet with these 10 survivors?” Blanche continued to avoid a direct commitment, claiming he was prohibited from meeting directly with represented parties.
“You are dancing on the head of a pin here,” Durbin responded. “We have these survivors who have the courage to come before this Committee and tell their terrible stories of how they were exploited.”
The Epstein Files Mishandling
Blanche’s handling of the Epstein files became a central focus of the hearing. The Justice Department had released documents containing personal information and images of survivors, violating redaction requirements under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Congress set a December 19, 2025 deadline for the full public release, but the DOJ missed that deadline. Review of the overwhelming majority of files did not begin until January 5, 2026—weeks after the statutory deadline.
During the hearing, Blanche acknowledged that the department made “mistakes” when it failed to redact some victims’ names. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously told the House Oversight Committee that Blanche was “in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files.”
The Anti-Weaponization Fund Controversy
Beyond the Epstein issue, Durbin also pressed Blanche on President Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund,” a $1.776 billion fund created as part of a settlement in Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. Durbin questioned how Blanche could justify signing a document that appeared to provide Trump, his family, and his businesses with immunity from federal tax law violations.
“How do you explain that to the American people?” Durbin asked. “Everyone in this room, all of us, we have to follow the tax laws of the United States and if we don’t, we can be held responsible for it, to the point of criminal prosecution. Why did you decide that President Trump and his family and their businesses should be exempt from that same responsibility?”
Blanche defended the settlement as ending past audits, but the agreement stated the United States “releases, waives, acquits, and forever discharges” the plaintiffs from tax liability. When Durbin asked if Blanche believed that constituted a permanent discharge from liability, Blanche confirmed it applied to “any past filings.”
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas also pressed Blanche on the fund, noting that Trump had not agreed in writing to delete it and that the matter could still be litigated. “Just to be clear, the president of the United States, who was a plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to delete the weaponization fund, and there’s no guarantee that he or one of the other plaintiffs might raise that issue by way of a lawsuit,” Cornyn said.
Blanche’s confirmation is not assured. Cornyn told reporters after the hearing he remained undecided, saying he would wait until the committee vote. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had previously expressed concerns about the anti-weaponization fund, signaled during the hearing he was warming to Blanche, though he reiterated his opposition to the fund itself.
Sources
- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (.gov) — Official press release detailing Durbin’s questions on Epstein survivors and the anti-weaponization fund, with direct quotes from the hearing.
- The Hill — Coverage of the confirmation hearing, including details on the anti-weaponization fund, Cornyn’s skepticism, and Blanche’s responses.
- PBS NewsHour — Video and reporting on Blanche’s defense of his handling of the Epstein files and acknowledgment of redaction mistakes.
- C-SPAN — Coverage of Durbin pressing Blanche to meet with Epstein survivors.
